Galactic Tango
by Undercover Godmother
Summary: Space, assassins, futuristic technology and GakuLuka. What can go wrong? Everything. Body guard Megurine Luka is sent to protect galactic pop star, Kamui Gakupo, and he becomes smitten with her instantly. She just wants to protect him and finish the job. Here, intrigue abounds, there are spaceship battles galore and two nincompoops try (or try not) to fall in love.
1. Prologue

"Tell me where he is," the man demanded, slapping the young agent they'd strapped to the chair once more. This time the blow brought blood to the man's mouth, but the stinging on his cheeks wasn't enough to overcome years of training.

The agent simply spat on his captors white shoes. Seeing his blood slowly seep into the shoes brought satisfaction to his heart, even when he knew he might die soon.

"He won't talk," a smooth women's voice said. "Stop beating him like you'd beat an errant puppy," she stated in a bored manner. "Get on with it."

A high pitched whine filled the room, and the agent swung his head upward. He was met with the sight of a stunning woman leaning against the eerily white walls, a shock of purple against the pale canvas. However, the swarthy man who abused him wasn't in view. The sound continued to get louder.

The young man turned his head in time to see the rod go into his spine accompanied by searing pain spreading through his body. A scream shot from his mouth unbidden. No matter what he did, it didn't stop. Every technique, every bit of training did nothing. He felt wet trails form down his cheeks; he was in such pain that he was unaware of his mindless screams for mercy.

And through the ruckus he heard his male captor thundered, "Tell me where he is and this will end."

"I don't know!" The agent wailed pathetically. He arched into the pain. "Please," he begged pathetically.

"You know something," the woman growled intensely from the wall. "Give us something."

"KAMUI!" The man screamed. "THAT'S ALL I KNOW!" He cried insistently.

"Interesting," the female purred. "Kill him."

The last view in the man's swimming eyesight was her swaying out of the room, saying, "We have him…" And then the pain grew and overwhelmed everything.


	2. An Irresistable Offer

As the Class VOCA P22LO1D hunkered past the Xian Nebula, the old space cruiser rumbled. Mostly, the cruiser always rumbled. Odd squeaks, groans and bursts of steam accompanied the small spacecraft's journey through the universe, and such protests only became worse when the captain urged her ship to go faster.

Luka Megurine sat in the cockpit, listening to the song the Cheshire sang thoughtfully. The pinkette mused over how she had ended up here – in an ex-pirate ship, waiting for the next gig while the engines groaned into the aether. Despite these sounds, her mechanic assured her that the Cheshire would hold through all manner of stress. The blessing of an old ship was that they were built to last, and as long as it still moved fast and remained in one piece, Luka didn't care what manner of sounds it made.

The woman tapped a black leather, high-heeled boots against the control panel as she leaned back in the pilot's chair. She'd practically had to pry Rin, the pilot of the Cheshire, out of the chair. Though Rin was a protective of her seat as the pilot, the girl had been running night shifts for days. Though they weren't on the job, Luka needed the girl to sleep so that if something came up (their line of work created a great deal of enemies and friends in equal measures) she would be well-rested and prepared to do some of the acrobatics and Luka hadn't seen anyone tease out of a spacecraft. Those tricks had gotten them out of more than a few scrapes.

As if to answer her thoughts, the transmission button began to flash green and make the annoying kitten-mewling sound that the rest of the crew found hilarious. _And we're considered one of the best in our business,_ Luka thought with a grimace as she flicked the switch to accept the message.

A blurry face slowly came into focus on the screen. The woman had short-cropped brown hair and sharp eyes took a swig from a large brown bottle. "Meiko!" Luka greeted jovially, though she tried to keep things professional. "Have a job for me?" she asked, tamping down on her enthusiasm.

"When don't I, babe?" Meiko asked, chuckling. They'd met in a gunfight on the mercenary planet Aran. Neither should have survived, but between the two of them they'd managed to blast their way off the planet. Three years later Luka had saved Meiko's ass from a Deingo assassin who had made a target out of her for protecting a dignitary from a rival planet. The two knew each other as great bar buddies, and because of Meiko's insistence that she owed Luka, Meiko would float the other woman jobs from time to time. In return for this, Luka would occasionally transport things for Meiko with no questions asked.

Luka smirked at her friend. "Shoot," she said, crossing her arms.

"A biggie came across my screen today, asking for you and your team specifically. Someone knows about our affiliation," Meiko teased with a wink. "But they apparently want the job done quietly. They don't want anyone to know who they want you to protect and don't want to talk to you directly. All they sent me was a JumpLink that only your voice can open. Tracked the IP back to a government source, but beyond that, I found nothing. Could be a job coming from anywhere or anyone, but the money seems legit. They gave me a taste for bouncing the message of to you. Good pay too."

Luka sat in the darkness of the cockpit for a moment, pursing her lips into a displeased grimace. She typically liked to speak to her clients, rather than getting into cloak and dagger nonsense. Such missions generally caused her ship to be blown to shit and her cost her more time than others. But if the money was good enough… "How much?"

"50 million credits, Megurine, and if you deny that offer because of your picky-ness so help my Gods I'll reach through this screen and throttle you," Meiko said bluntly.

"Do I have to accept the job to get the details?" Luka asked, though at 50 million, she honestly would be willing to protect a pile of cow dung from the worst scum the universe could dredge up and throw at her. However, she still hesitated. She may be willing to fling herself into any situation, but her crew was a very different manner. She'd been in the game a while, but her team was just a bunch of talented kids the verse had chewed up and spit up in her path. They were damn good at their job, but they were still Luka's responsibility. Safety came first for them.

Meiko shook her head. "Told them you operated cautiously. They said it was no problem. The JumpLink has the rest of the info and you have the ability to bounce your answer through there."

Luka nodded slowly, weighing the pros and the cons. She decided that by glancing at the link, she at least had the opportunity to take a 50 mil job. What was the worst that could happen? "Send me the link. Thanks, Meiko." She said, with a genuine smile.

"No probs, girlfriend. If you're on Baniko 12 sometime soon, hit me up. We'll get drunk again." Meiko said with a laugh that screamed of wild abandonment and revelry. It was throaty, a quality Luka actually enjoyed, perhaps because it was so infectious that she found herself using her own underused laugh.

Chuckling along with her friend she said, "Will do." With that, she ended the transmission, and looked at the link that Meiko had shot her through the NET.

She hovered over the option that would allow her to select the Link. When the NET was being developed to allow connection all through space, JumpLinks had originally been created as little joke messages, like a jump scare (hence the name, JumpLinks). However JumpLinks were truly useful because the NET read them like flaws in the code, making them damn near untraceable other than to those who were highly trained. With the right routes and coders, one could use JumpLinks as a perfect way to communicate things that one didn't want to be found. Which was part of why they were so popular in her particular line of work – clients who wished to remain anonymous could go completely untraced by use of JumpLinks.

Luka found them unreliable and untrustworthy. And Gods knew that sometimes Meiko thought it funny to play a prank on her. 50 mil for a mission. Wasn't that a bit extreme? But it was worth the occasional practical joke to get to the jobs that Meiko sent her way. And Luka knew that drunk, Meiko was a terrible liar and she had seemed sincere.

_So help me, if this is a jump scare I will poison her drink next time, whether I need to lighten up or not,_ Luka thought. Jump scares messed Luka up, for reasons she didn't like to think about or discuss, which is why she never reprimanded Meiko for it, simply got even every time she did it. A night or two of lost sleep seemed comparable to a little discomfort for a short period of time with an antidote at the end of the road to Luka.

With a sigh of resignation, she clicked the Link.

It flashed orange and flickered to life, presenting a simple set of instructions to her across the page.

PLEASE STATE YOUR NAME.

Luka grimaced at the screen. "Megurine Luka," she stated clearly and firmly. The screen blinked thoughtfully, and then seemed to deem her response appropriate. With that, a simple paragraph replaced the initial words. Frowning, Luka leaned forward and skimmed the brief paragraph.

They were being paid to protect a man named Kamui Gakupo and discover who was trying to kill him and why. The rest of the details outlined that more information on Kamui could be discovered once she accepted the mission. There were no details on who their would-be employer was, but Luka didn't care so much when it was a job to defend a client. Briefly, the paragraph had explained that the methods of poison and a single assassin had already been sent out against this man. She assumed more details would be inside.

All in all seemed to be a run of the mill protect and defend jobs, with a catch and make sure it stops happening aspect. Luka grinned. Those were the best jobs, as they often were clean cut and simple. One detail made things tricky – neither Gakupo or the assassins could know that he was being protected. But even then, her team had dealt with much tighter restrictions with great success.

The paragraph disappeared, and was promptly replaced with more text.

DO YOU ACCEPT?

"I do," Luka replied firmly. 50 mil for an easy job. Her team could set up shop and retire from the business for a while. Or hire other people to do their jobs while they rested on the blue beaches of Chiro for the rest of their lives.

The screen went dark, and Luka was about to let loose a string of very ugly cusses, the like of which would make dock workers and prostitutes blush, but the screen came back to life with a flurry of information. Pictures, dates, addresses, known associates… every detail of this man's life was projected onto her little ship's screen, filling the cockpit with light.

The wild influx ceased on the most ridiculous image of a man in purple hair wearing a large, overdone "modern" version of a purple and white Old Earth samurai outfit pointing outward and beaming while what looked like enormous hologram versions of himself danced in the background. Recognition flashed readily to the forefront of Luka's mind – this man was damn close to being the most well-known man in the Verse.

The Dancing Samurai, is what they called him, and he was known by no other name. He was a wildly popular musician, and was well known for his extravagant concerts and flamboyant style. He was Miku's favorite artist, and she often professed his many finer points (his cute ass and pretty face) while also often singing one of his hits under her breath. Luka openly disliked his music, calling it corny and overproduced.

And she prayed to god that Kamui Gakupo wasn't actually this man.

She flicked through the files, until she found another simple data sheet, with an operators license photo of a man with long purple hair, giving a sweet, simple smile to the camera. Though there wasn't any make up or stage lights, she knew this man and the flamboyant star in the first photo were one in the same. To the left of this image, was Kamui Gakupo typed in damning bold print.

Luka cussed softly and rested her head in her hands.

She may have bitten off more than she could chew.


	3. I'll Get You An Autograph

"No way." The girl with long teal hair was practically vibrating in the common area that they also used to discuss strategy.

Luka nodded solemnly as she tapped at the table projection that showed all the organized data that she'd been delivered by their employer. "Yes," she said, trying not to feed the younger girls enthusiasm.

Despite this, the ever excitable Miku let loose a high squeal of joy. "This is even better than going to a concert. We're gonna see his everyday life! That's unheard of!"

"We're not doing this for a fangirl dream experience, Miku," Luka reprimanded gently. She'd been expecting the response, and thus wasn't fazed by it at all. "This mission requires a bit of delicacy," she said, leaning against the table. The excited young crew settled down, Rin and Len ceasing their teasing and all of their faces leveled and became serious. Though young and foolish, they knew when to focus.

"What do you mean?" chimed Rin and Len simultaneously. "Jinx!" They said, once again in tandem. Rin stuck out her tongue and Len responded by pushing her over. They turned back to Luka, their little spat over in a matter of moments. The twins were valuable – one a talented pilot, the other a brilliant mechanic and fairly good shot. It had, however, taken a great deal of time to get them to this point of maturity. In an odd way, Luka was proud.

She didn't let it show though. She simply continued with the briefing. "Kamui can't know that we're protecting him, unless things get so extreme that the need arises. We need to stop any attackers and figure out who is sending them without his even being aware that we're there."

Miku frowned. "So you'll play it close, I'll wait in the crowds and the twins will keep watch overhead? As usual?"

"Yes. The other tricky thing is that Kamui keeps his personal life completely separate from his life as a pop star. We have to avoid making those connections for his assassins, if they haven't already made them. We need to watch both personas, everywhere they go." Luka had agonized over how to achieve all of these goals. The more she analyzed the man, the more infuriating he became. Thankfully the data she'd been given was thorough.

"Rin and Len will have primary guard duty during concerts. In general, you'll hover above in Kitten and keep an eye out for aerial threats as well as odd behavior on the ground that you can warn Miku and I about." Rin grinned. She loved Kitten, perhaps a little more than she loved the Cheshire, because Baby had been Luka's gift to Rin and Len. Together they'd fixed the small hovercraft up, and it now operated as an efficient and quiet cruiser.

"No probs, boss lady. Rin and I know the drill," Len said, with his trademark crooked grin. Someday the kid would be charmingly roguish, and that smile would slay the ladies.

"Good," Luka said. "Miku…"

"Will be a party guest when he goes to parties, a tourist on the streets, a fan at the concerts. Got ya," Miku said with a wink. "What will you be doing?"

Luka grinned. "I've got contacts through our employer. They're working on some job that'll keep me close to him and allow near complete access to his life."

"Luckyyyyyyyyyyyyyy," Miku whined. Luka was about to say that she was the most experienced, and therefor best qualified but Miku sighed and continued her thought. "I know you have to be the one to do that, it's just you don't even _like_ his music."

"Maybe if all goes well I'll twist things so that we can meet him once things are over," Luka hinted with a small smile. It wouldn't harm anything, and they'd have more than enough credits to go to any of this man's concerts fifty times over anyway. Her crew members beamed up at her, though Miku looked as though she was ready to start tearing up. Len had admitted that he enjoyed his music and Rin had a few of his songs on her "driving playlist" as she called it, but neither could match the fanaticism of Hatsune Miku. It was adorable.

"Any questions?" Luka asked in the wake of the pleased silence.

"How much are we being paid?" Rin asked.

"50 million," Luka said.

"What!" "Are you kidding!" "No fucking way!" The three cried at the same time.

"Not kidding. Not a joke. If we don't screw this up, we get 50 mil."

"Damn," Rin said, a wicked grin playing on her angelic face. "Pop stars and a big pay day. Best. Job. Ever."

Len leaned forward. "Shouldn't we be concerned? Sure this seems like an easy job, but do we even know our employer? It has to be more."

Luke nodded. "I was worried about the same things. We're going to have to be on high alert. I have a feeling there's more to this than what is being told, but when have these jobs ever been simple?"

The group sat thoughtfully. "Welp, I'm in if there's good money," said Rin. "I've been needing to upgrade Kitten for a while. So let's go." She stood from the table and stared up at Luka. "Where to, capn'?" she asked with a cheesy pirate accent.

"Delta Kai," Luka said.

"Got it. I'll point the Chesh in the right direction. C'mon Len!" She tugged on his shirt and dragged him after her into the pit after her. "You've gotta fix that goddamn loose wire…"

"I did it yesterday," Len groaned.

"Yeah, sure you did…" said Rin. With that, Luka tuned them out and turned to Miku. Her unofficial second-in-command gazed thoughtfully at the screen.

"What are you thinking?" Luka asked. She valued the opinions of her crew. Though goofballs, she couldn't deny their creativity or their talent. They got the job done and they did it well.

The younger woman shook her head. "Nothing."

Luka crossed her arms. "No really, what is it?"

"Just a feeling," the normally unflappable girl said. "Trouble. Maybe a lot. Something else… Don't trust all this, Luka. I know you know that, but seriously. Something is up." The teal haired girl gave Luka a small smile.

"Hey, you know me. Ms. Cautious. You remember how angry you got at me on that last mission for triple-checking everything," Luka replied, trying to play the words off as flippant when her undercurrent of emotions was unsettled. Miku was Andaian, which was obvious by her teal hair and abnormally good senses. But those boosted senses also came with an instinct that most people thought was bullshit. Luka knew that Miku's "sixth sense" was often on point. And as such the girl's troubled predictions made Luka concerned.

Evidently, though, the comment did the job it was supposed to and Miku's frown transformed into a disgusted eye rolls. "God, do I know. You're so annoying!" she cried, with a little laugh, throwing her arms dramatically into the air and spinning her chair next to the table.

On the screen, a ping came into view, the little envelope message box in the corner turning red and turning the count to one with the sound of an electrical, cheery chime. Miku made her chair whip around faster and stared at the screen.

"Hey, Luka, you gotta message. Want me to open it up for you?" she asked brightly.

"Sure," Luka said, leaning forward so she could get a view of the screen. "Let's hope it's from our employer."

Miku tapped the screen and the message opened. The women skimmed the short ping quickly, and Miku leaned back and groaned. "This isn't faaaaaaaaair," she bemoaned. "You sure I can't take point?"

Luka smiled fondly at her second in command, and stood. "Nope, sorry kid. Promise to bring you an autograph."

"You better," Miku snarked in response. "Or I quit."


End file.
